Next we read in the 11th chapter of John. Jesus went on doing his miracles, even to raising Lazarus from the dead, and they went so far as to try to kill Lazarus, to destroy the evi dence of Christ's power to raise the dead.
But as the work went on with Christ, they found they were losing ground more and more with the people, as Christ was gaining more and more influence.
"Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him. But some of them went their way to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done." (John 11:45-46)
That was when he had raised Lazarus from the dead. Now the story goes right on from there. Some of them went to the Pharisees and told what things Jesus had done in the resurrection of Lazarus. Then and there the chief priests and Pharisees took counsel and said:
" What do we? for this man does many miracles. If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him; and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation." (John 11:47-48)
Now notice the argument that was in their hearts, and in their words in fact. They were accusing Jesus all the time of Sabbath-breaking; and here now they say,
"If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him."
And that will make all men Sabbath-breakers, and it will be a nation of Sabbath-breakers, and when the nation becomes a nation of Sabbath-breakers, the judgments of God will be vis ited upon us, and the Lord will bring the Romans and sweep away the whole nation.
"And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that of year, said unto them, You know nothing at all. Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death." (John 11:49-50,53)
Now why do they determine to put him to death? His Sab bath- keeping which they insist is Sabbath-breaking is the reason.
And now, they argue, if he goes on thus breaking the Sabbath, all men will believe on him, that will make all men Sab bath- breakers, and then this will be a whole nation of Sab bath- breakers; the nation itself will be a Sabbath-breaker.
Therefore, in order to save the nation, they propose to kill Jesus. But when they do that, they are killing the Saviour. So in order to save the nation, yes, to save themselves and the nation, they would destroy the Saviour of themselves and the nation. Then whom did that make the Saviour of themselves and the nation? Themselves.
Jesus was the Saviour of the nation, and the Saviour of the people if they would believe on him. Jesus was keeping the Sabbath, the sign that he is the Saviour. So now they rejected his salvation, and himself, and all with it, Sabbath and all, in order to save the nation. So that makes them their own saviours, and this makes self-salvation the way of salvation, instead of Christ the way of salvation.
Then in the last analysis, the contest between Christ and the Pharisees was whether it was salvation by Christ or salvation by themselves. They were destroying him, the Saviour of themselves and the nation, in order for themselves to save themselves and the nation. So that it came to just this:
Is Christ is the way of salvation, or is self the way of salvation?
And the Sabbath, in Christ's idea of the Sabbath, is the sign of salvation by Christ. Man's idea of the Sabbath is the sign of self-the salvation of self, by self, through self, and for self- self all the time.
So that, in the Sabbath question in that day, as in this, there was involved the question: Who is the Saviour? Is it Christ, by the faith and power of God alone? or is it the self-appointed church leaders, by the power and force of earthly government?